Brake-beam.



was. 715,995. Patented Da e. :6, I902. -s. A. cnouz.

BRAKE BEAM.

(Application filed June 27. 1902.)

(No Model.)

INVENTOR 692/; .71. Crone 4/ ""ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT QEEIGE.

SETH A. CRONE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

BRAKE-BEAM.

slECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. '71 5,99 5, dated. December 16, 1902.

Application filed June 27, 1902. gerial No. 113,396. (No model.)

To all 1077/0772, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SETH A. CRONE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident. of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brake-Beams for Railway-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in brake-beams; and it consists in the novel features,arrangement,and combinations ofparts hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In its preferred form the brake-beam of my invention comprises a rolled beam member having on its ends the brake-shoe heads, a truss-rod member engaging said heads, and a central strut adapted to receive the brakelever and comprising a swiveled section capable of being turned to force said beam member and truss-rod member at their central portions ina direction from each other.

The object of the invention is to produce a more efficient and desirable brake-beam than.

those heretofore known.

The invention will be readily understood from the detailed description hereinafter presented,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top view of a brake-beam constructed in accordance with and embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a section of same, on an enlarged scale,on the dotted line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an end projection of same, the truss-rod being partly broken away. Fig. 4 is a section of same on the dotted line 4 4 of Fig. 1, the truss-rod being omitted. Fig. 5 is a section through the strut on the dotted line 5 5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a section through the strut on the dotted line 6 6 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 7 is a detached view of a portion of the trussrod, the dotted lines of Fig. 7 denoting the position to which the truss-rod is turned preparatory to the insertion of the head ends ofsaid rod through the apertures in the brakeshoe heads.

In the drawings, 10 denotes the rolled beam member, 11 the truss-rod, 1'2 12 the brakeshoe heads, and 13 the strut, the latter comprising the swivel-section 14, the threaded socket member 15, applied upon the beam 10, and the swivel-socketmember 16, detachably engaging the central portion of the truss-rod.

The beam 10 is preferably, though not necessarily, of T shape in cross-section, and this beam will be either straight or bowed,as usual. Upon the ends of the beam 10 are the brake shoe heads 12, which present the usual required edge outline and are formed with sockets conforming to the shape of the beam 10 and whichpass upon the ends of said beam, asdenoted by the dotted lines in Fig. 1. The heads 12 are also formed with the apertures 17, through which the heads 18 on the trussrod. 11 pass, and at their outer ends the heads 12 re inclined, as at 19, and provided with shallow recesses 20 to receive the heads 18 of the truss-rod 11. The shallow recesses 20 at the outer end of the heads 12 extend at right angles to the apertures 17, through which the heads 18 are passed, and, as shown in Figs. 3 and 7, the heads 18 are of elongated form and after they have been inserted through the apertures 17 they may, upon the turning of the truss-rod, be caused to extend across said apertures shown in Fig. 3, and thereby lock the truss-rod in position, as hereinafter explained.

The truss-rod 11 is a plain rod in one continuous piece, having the integral heads 18 on its ends.

The strut 13 comprises the swivel-section 14, having the dowel 21 at one end, a threaded stem 22 at the other end, and a central slot to receive the brake-lever, (not shown,) which will be held upon a suitable bolt passing through the bearing-apertures23. The swivelsection 14 is disposed intermediate the threaded socket member 15 and the swivel-socket member 16, the latter receiving the dowel 21 and the member 15 receiving the threaded stem 22, as more clearly illustrated in Fig. 2.

The member 15 is in the form of a casting snitablyslotted to pass upon the outline of the beam 10 and to be moved to a central position thereon. The swivel-socket member 16 is recessed at its outer end to pass upon the truss-rod 11, and the socket in said member 16 will normally allow the section 14 of the strut to be freely rotated during the lengthening and shortening of said strut. After the section 14 has been turned sufficiently it will be fastened to the socket member 16 by means ofa bolt or pin 24, which will pass through the walls of said member 16 and also through the dowel of the section 14. The dowel 21 Will be provided with two openings, as shown in Fig. 6, for the bolt 24, so that said bolt may pass through said dowel whether the swivelsection 14 is in the position shown in Fig.1 or is turned to its opposite position for giving the brake-lever a different angle. The bolt 24: is not applied to position until after the swivelsection 14 has been properly turned to create the proper tension upon the beam 10 and truss-rod, and thereupon the bolt 24 will be applied to fasten the swivel-section 14 and swivel socket member 16 in rigid relation with respect to each other, so that neither may rotate. The dowel 21 has smooth surfaces, and the smooth-surfaced socket in the member 16 snugly receives said dowel and allows the dowel to rotate therein without moving lengthwise of the same, and thus the dowel end of the swivel-section 14 always has a very firm fixed bearing, and one or the other of the apertures in said dowel for the bolt 24 may at all times be brought into line with the apertures in the wall of the member 16 to receive said bolt.

In assembling the several parts of the brake-beam, the heads 12 will be passed upon the ends of the beam 10, and the truss-rod 11 then turned to a right-angular position, as shown in Fig. 7, will have its ends inserted through the openings 17in said heads 12, and thereupon the rod 11 will be turned from said right-angular position, (denoted by dotted lines in Fig. 7,) to the position in which it is shown by full lines in Figs. 1, 3, and 7, whereupon the swivel-section 14 and socket member 16 of the strut, not being fastened together by the bolt 2+1, will by the axial rotation of the section 14 be forced outward against the truss-rod 11, thereby drawing the heads 18 of said rod firmly within the shallow recesses 20 at the outer end of the heads 12 and causing the heads 12 to become firmly secured upon the ends of the beam 10. It will thus be seen that the swivel-section 14 of the strut is utilized not only to afford a bearing for the brakelever, but also to create a proper tension on the truss-rod 11, whereby to secure said truss-rod and the brake-shoe heads 12 firmly to the beam 10. The inner walls of the openings 17 in the heads 12 will on one side be beveled off, as at 25, Fig. 4:, so that the ends of the rod 11 may be readily inserted through said openings when the heads 18 on said rods are in line with the length of said openings. After the parts of the brake-beam are rigidly bound together by the action of the swivel-section 14 of the strut the edge walls of the recesses 20, receiving the heads 18 of the truss-rod 11, will aid in preventing said truss-rod from turning from position.

I do not limit the invention to the employment of a T-beam 10, since I am aware that a channel-iron or I-beam may be made use of in lieu of a T-beam 10.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The brake-beam comprising the beam member, the brake-shoe heads on the ends thereof, and the truss member, combined with the strut intermediate the central portions of and engaging said members and adapted to afford a bearing for the brake-lever, said strut comprising the threaded socket member, the swivel-socket member, and the swivel-section having a threaded end to enter and engage the said threaded socket member and a smooth dowel end to seat and rotate in the smoothsurfaced socket of said swivel-socket member, said dowel end having the transverse aperture through it and said swivel-socket member having the transverse apertures to receive a bolt for locking the swivel-section against rotation; substantially as set forth.

2. The brake-beam comprising the beam member, the brake-shoe heads fitting upon the ends thereof, and the truss-rod having the heads on its ends to engage said brake-shoe heads and bind the same upon the ends of said beam member, said brake-shoe heads having the openings to permit the passage through the same of said heads on the truss-rod when the latter is turned from its normal operative position, and the said heads on said truss-rod being of sufficient size to cross said openings and find a bearing against said brake-shoe heads when said truss-rod is turned to its 0perative position, combined with the extensible strut intermediate the central portions of and engaging said beam member and trussrod and adapted to afford a bearing for the brake-lever; substantially as set forth.

3. The brake-beam comprising the beam member, the brake-shoe heads fitting upon the ends thereof, and the truss-rod having the heads on its ends to engage said brake-shoe heads and bind the same upon the ends of said beam member, said brake-shoe heads having the openings to permit the passage through the same of said heads on the truss-rod when the latter is turned from its normal operative position, and the said heads on said truss-rod being of sufficient size to cross said openings and find a bearing against said brake-shoe heads when said truss-rod is turned to its operative position, combined with the strut intermediate the central portions of said beam member and said truss-rod and adapted to afiord a bearing for the brake-lever, said strut comprising a threaded socket, a swivel-socket and a swivel-section seated in said swivelsocket and having a threaded end engaging said threaded socket; substantially as set forth.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 26th day of June, A. D. 1002.

SETH A. CRONE.

\Vitnesses:

CHAS. O. GILL, ARTHUR MARION. 

